The Reluctant Travellers
by Daniiee The Imaginary
Summary: Rylee Caine, 19 year old girl, is forced to go on a Pokemon adventure by her mother. On it's own, this wouldn't be a problem. Except that Rylee has been told that her new neighbour Mark, whom she despises, must accompany her on her journey.
1. Chapter 1

**_Hi guys. :)_**

**_ I know it has been a loooooooong time since I posted something on Fanfic but I was in a creative mood yesterday and wrote this. I have already posted this on my deviantART account (my username is LikeLike-H4t3r if anyone wants to check out my profile, or find links to people who can actually draw and stuff...for I am hopeless myself. :P)_**

**_But anyway, after posting it on dA, I decided to post it here. So it can actually be categorised into what it really is... A Pokemon fanfiction. _**

**_Main characters are mine, but GameFreak owns all the Pokemon names, moves, items, gym leaders, towns/cities/routes, etc. _**

**_Hope you guys like it. :) And I apologise for making the story a little slow in this chapter. But I promise the pace will pick up soon._ **

**_And so, I bring you the story of:_**

* * *

><p><strong>THE RELUCTANT TRAVELLERS<strong>

**Chapter 1:**

"OKAY! THAT'S IT! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!" Cyclone Mirriam (AKA: my Mum) exclaimed as she stormed into my dark bedroom.

"Rylee!" She yelled, "get off that Goddamn TV and go for a walk outside! You haven't seen daylight in, what? Two weeks now?" She turned my light switch on – and it genuinely felt as though a flamethrower had been shoved up my nostrils and had scorched my eyeballs. But there was no way I was going to admit that to her.

"But Muuuuum," I groaned, "I'm playing with people on the net! We've formed a band! I'm the lead guitarist – I can't just abandon Justifying Revenge now! We're about to play our first gig on expert!"

Mum looked at me blankly. "Rylee, I don't care about your band on Guitar Hero. I don't care about the other people playing Guitar Hero with you."

I gasped. "You're heartless!"

"You will be too because, if you stay cooped up in here any longer, you'll turn into a vampire." She walked over to my window. "My God," she whispered in shock. "These curtains haven't been opened in so long that the Spinerak have sealed it to the wall!"

"Hey, don't knock my decor."

Mum turned to me. "Rylee. I'm serious this time. You need to get out of the house, and pronto!"

I whined. "Aw man. Real life is boring. There's nothing to do out there, anyway."

"I know what you can do." Mum suggested curtly. "You can go find a job. Or enrol in university. You know, something that normal girls your age do."

"Ah, but mother! The key word there being _normal._ Which is something I am not, nor will I endeavour to be."

My mum sighed, exasperated. "You are impossible, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know. It must run in the family." I turned back to the screen. "Now if you don't mind, I owe my band members an apology for holding them up on our gig."

"Oh, no you don't!"

And before I knew it, I was left staring at an empty, black screen, for my mother had turned off the TV...from the power point.

There are no words to express the feeling of what it is like having the power cut out whilst in the middle of a game. None. Just an empty space, waiting to be filled with the hate for whatever caused the power outage.

Before the emotions bubbled up to the surface, Mum interrupted. "Now that you are listening, you are going to get up off that bean bag, put on some decent clothes, and go visit our new neighbours who moved in a week and a half ago – but you wouldn't know that, of course. For you have been stuck in this room since you graduated from high school."

Determined to keep my cool, and not think about the last point at which my game had saved, I acquiesced, "fine. I'll go visit our neighbours."

"Good," replied Mum, smugly. "Take Bananas with you. You haven't taken him for a walk in a long time. I think he misses you."

Urgh. I have to hand it to my Mum – she's a crafty lady. Not only do I have to awkwardly socialise with the neighbours, but now I'm going to have to prolong my time outdoors because Bananas, my family's dopey pet Slakoth, is literally going to be crawling at a pace of ten centimetres per half hour.

Terrific.

Bananas was making wonderful progress. It only took him an hour... to walk down our driveway. This must be a personal best for him.

There's a certain technique to walking with Bananas... or any Slakoth for that matter. You have to give the impression that you want them to rush, but still showing them that you are patient enough to wait. Sort of like a guiding-Dampe-around-the-dark-tomb scenario. In order to keep Bananas moving at a pace quite reasonable for a Slakoth, I must always be five paces ahead of him; no more, no less. Only five.

If I am too far ahead, Bananas begins to move slower out of sheer stubbornness. If I walk to close to him, he reads it as though we are taking a casual stroll, in which he has time to pause and idly daydream every couple of steps. You know, sniff the ground, smell the Rosalia's, and what not.

Pardon the pun, but you can never slacken off when guiding a Slakoth. It's a real art. And one that I'm not exactly sure that I should be proud to have mastered.

Anyway, Bananas kept up the pace – to which I am truly grateful. But it still gave me plenty of time to glance around my hometown, and realise, that no matter how long I stay indoors, for a week, a month, for eternity – nothing will have changed in the small, insignificant town of Greywick. The flowers in the town park still continue to cast the same wonderful array of colours from their petals; the young children swimming in the crystal-clear waters of Lake Monsoon (which is just a stone's throw away from the above-mentioned park). This place... people could go searching their whole lives for a town like this to live in.

And yet, I cannot stand the very sight of it.

For the flowers in the park - the town Mayor ships in scores of Bellossom from across the sea to our tiny island, so that the small dancing Pokemon can arrange the park's plant life in a way no human being could match. The Mayor also hires Phil; Greywick's resident apiarist, to migrate his Combee's to pollinate the rest of the plants in the town.

Lake Monsoon? Well, a few years ago, it was nothing more than a swamp. But it played host to many species of Pokemon. The most famous of which, was Mudkip. My father told me that when he was a young boy, he used to go into the swamp every night, at dusk. He said that was the time the swamp came alive. He reported seeing families, upon families of Mudkips and Marshtomps, as well as the odd Swampert or two.

No-one believed him though. And why would they?

_A Pokemon of such calibre would not be found around these parts! _The townspeople used to say. _You'd be lucky to find a single Wooper in that place. There is absolutely nothing in that swamp. It's a waste of space. And the stench! The Mayor should just get rid of it._

And so he did. Countless machines and gadgets were brought in to dry up the swamp. It took many months, Dad said, for the program to be called a success. But the moment the earth was dry enough, the Mayor ordered his team to dig a hole, fill it with pristine spring water, and throw in a couple of Magikarp, just to make it look authentic.

This is why I hate this town, and prefer to say inside. By attempting to make it perfect, it lost its natural beauty. That, and wiping out the natural habitat of God knows how many Pokemon. It's not in the least bit fair.

I paused in front of the cosy-looking brick home and rang my neighbour's doorbell before turning around to wait for Bananas to catch up, silently thanking God that we had finally arrived. Lucky we got here when we did; I'm a bit unnerved as to how far my thoughts had drifted while walking.

"Before Christmas would be good," I mumbled to Bananas, who yawned and then wrapped himself around my left leg.

"No! Bad Bananas!" I bent down and attempted to peel his limbs off my calf muscle, but they had a vice-like grip. "Come ON! You should be sleeping - not cutting off my circulation!" Quickly losing hope, I began to jump around the yard, shaking my leg like an uncoordinated three year old doing the Hokie Pokie – trying to fling him off.

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, JUST GET OFF ME!"

"Excuse me?"

"GAH!" I spun around in fright, gaping at the boy who stood in the doorway.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to intrude like that." He smirked. "So has mating season for Slakoth begun already?"

My face went red...with anger.

"Does THIS" I raised my leg with a sound-asleep Bananas attached to it, against the nearest wall, "look like a crazy, hormonal Slakoth to you?"

He bent down to examine Bananas. "Hmm. Now that you mention it, he does seem a bit dopey."

"Hey! Nobody is allowed to call Bananas dopey except for me, got it?"

"Whatever." He said in an uninterested tone. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I am here to introduce myself."

"Don't worry, you don't need introducing." He dismissed me. "After what I've just seen, I have a pretty good idea of what type of person you are."

"You don't know the first thing about me." I glared.

"I think I know enough." He retorted.

We continued to stare each other down until a woman's gentle voice floated through his house.

"Mark, was that the doorbell? Could you fetch it for me? It'll most likely be Mrs Caine's daughter – she was supposed to visit us this afternoon. Be nice and invite her inside won't you?"

I grinned at Mark. "You heard the lady."

"Hmph." He grumbled, and let me shuffle through the door, with Bananas still clenched around my leg.

* * *

><p><strong><em>So how was it? I hope someone out there likes it. :\<em>**

**_But please comment! I need to know if I am on the right track with this... _**

**_Also, don't hesitate to point out any mistakes! Any feedback will be much appreciated. :) Thanks guys. _**

**_Tune in next chapter. :)  
><em>**


	2. Chapter 2

**THE RELUCTANT TRAVELLERS:**

******Chapter Two.  
><strong>

Mark's home seemed much more spacious than mine, even though our houses shared the same building design. Maybe it was because they had painted the walls here yellow. To be honest, yellow paint isn't exactly high on my list when it comes to home decor; I tend to favour darker colours, like Royal Blue, and Plum. But somehow, here, the colour made the place feel warm. Like standing near a fireplace after a long walk on a frosty winter's eve.  
>"Quit staring at the walls, you're freaking me out." Mark spoke suddenly.<br>"I was only glancing!" My voice defensive. "Besides, the yellow paint is nice change," I conceded.  
>"From what? Is your room pink, or something?"<br>"BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I laughed hysterically. "You CLEARLY do not know me!"  
>"Which is the whole reason we invited you here today." A small woman, wearing an apron, descended from the set of stairs. When she reached the ground, she held out her hand to me and smiled sweetly. "I'm Yvette Reed. You must be Rylee."<br>"The one and only." I smirked, shaking her hand politely.  
>"Got that right." I heard Mark mumble under his breath.<br>Obviously I wasn't the only one.  
>"Mark!" she slapped his shoulder. "Stop being rude!"<br>"Are you kidding?" He asked incredulously. "Have you seen the thing wrapped around her leg? She has issues."  
>"I do not." I frowned at him. "And Bananas isn't a <em>thing<em>."  
>Mrs Reed's eyes fell onto Bananas, who, as Mark described, was still clinging around my leg with incessant force, and showing no immediate signs of fatigue.<br>"Well, hi there little guy." She cooed.  
>"His name is Bananas." I stated diplomatically.<br>"Cute name," she grinned. "How long have you had him?"  
>"Um... about seven years now. I think."<br>"My, that's nearly as long as we've had Magenta." She pointed out into their spacious backyard, to a tall, majestic Rapidash.  
>"Wow." I breathed, and found myself walking outside to meet her. "Where did you get her?" I asked Mrs Reed suddenly.<br>Mark was the one who answered though.  
>"We used to live over in Kanto before we moved here." He said as he walked over to stroke Magenta's muscular body, avoiding the bright flames as he did so. "We came across her as a Ponyta. It took a while to break her even when she was young." He smiled. "Have had her ever since."<br>"Well, she sure is beautiful."  
>"And a much better companion than a sloth."<br>Deciding to let that one slide, I turned back around to talk to Mrs Reed, but she had disappeared.  
>"Where did your mum go?" I asked Mark.<br>"Probably in the kitchen." He grumbled, his attention still on Magenta.  
>"Thanks." I said, mimicking his tone as I made my way inside to find his mum.<br>I heard her voice before I actually set eyes on her. A one-way conversation, it sounded like. As I rounded the kitchen, Mrs Reed was casually pacing back and forth on her checkerboard-patterned linoleum floor, with a cordless phone held to her ear. I didn't dare interrupt her conversation.  
>"Yes, yes. I shall tell her at once." I couldn't help but overhear. "She's a lovely girl. Don't know what you were worried about, Mirriam." She laughed.<br>Wait. Did she just say _Mirriam_...as in, my Mum?  
>"Yes, yes, they are getting along perfectly fine. They're out in the yard petting Magenta."<br>Oh, God. They're discussing Mark and I.  
>A short silence took place, allowing my mother to say her bit.<br>"Well," Mrs Reed began, "that sounds like a wonderful idea to me. I think it would be a good experience, yes. I'll run it by him later." She smiled. "And yes, I shall send her home to you now."  
>They said their goodbyes, and hung up, at which I pretended to stumble into the kitchen at exactly the right moment – giving no indication that I eavesdropped on her conversation.<br>"Oh, good timing, Rylee. That was your mother." Mrs Reed told me; completely oblivious to my guilty actions.  
>"Oh? What did she want?" I asked, playing the part.<br>"She wants you home for tea a little earlier tonight. Apparently you have a big day tomorrow."  
>The Hell I do! My plan tomorrow was to sleep, eat, play, eat, and then sleep again, in that order.<br>"Um, yeah! I am busy tomorrow... definitely an action filled day for me...heh." I scratched my head nervously, fearful of what my mother was up to.  
>"Well, I best let you go home then," said Mrs Reed. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Rylee." She beamed.<br>"Likewise." I nodded.  
>Mrs Reed yelled out to Mark. "Mark! Come in here and say goodbye to Rylee!"<br>"No! No! It's...fine, really." I said quickly. "I don't want to disturb him."  
>"You're very considerate." She smiled kindly. "I'll see you to the door."<br>"Thanks...for inviting me, I mean." I rambled.  
>"You're most welcome. Come over anytime. And Bananas, too." She joked.<br>I'd almost forgotten about Bananas; my leg must have desensitised to the extra weight. Sure enough, when I looked down, he was still in the same position as last time.  
><em>Oh well<em>, I thought. _At least I'll get home a little quicker_.

I walked through the front door and slammed it shut behind me.  
>"Okay, woman!" I stomped over to my mum who was patiently waiting at the dining table for me to arrive. "What evil scheme are you planning this time?"<br>"How dare you accuse me of such an allegation," she pretended to feel hurt. "After all the effort I have put in to make you such an exquisite dinner?"  
>I scanned the table.<br>Mum's finest china and cutlery were set out, a large plate of baked fish was placed in the middle of the tablecloth, and crunchy, roasted vegetables were already scattered on my dining plate.  
>"Who are you, and what have you done with my mum?"<br>"I am your mum." She rolled her eyes.  
>I watched her suspiciously. "That's exactly what the aliens would say..."<br>"Cut the crap, Rylee." She glared at me; her voice, no-nonsense.  
>I dropped the alien subject. "If you're really my mother, you are definitely up to something."<br>She pulled half her mouth into a smirk. "Okay. Yes, you got me."  
>"AHAH!"<br>"But before I explain, why don't you detach poor Bananas from your leg?"  
>I blinked at her. "I can't."<br>"Don't be stupid, of course you can."  
>"How? I've tried everything!"<br>"Scratch behind his right ear." She stated. "He'll drop off in an instant."  
>"Oh." I guess you learn something new every day.<br>"Anyway," Mum began as I sat down in the dining chair, "the reason why I wanted you back sooner is because tonight will be the last time we'll get to spend some good quality time with each other for a long while. The Last Supper, you could call it."  
>"What?" I asked surprised. "I mean, why? Where are you going?"<br>"It's not where I'm going." She smirked. "It's where you will be."  
>"Whoa. Wait." I attempted to pull together my scrambled thoughts. "Where am I going exactly?" I inquired.<br>My mother chuckled malevolently. "Hoenn, my dear daughter. You will be going Hoenn."  
>My jaw dropped. "WHAT? HOENN?" I screeched. "You can't just expect me to get up and leave like this! Where will I live over there?"<br>"You won't be living anywhere." She grinned. "For the simple fact that you will not have a permanent residence."  
>"So, what... I'll be living in a tent?" My pitch rising.<br>"Not exactly," she mused. She was loving this, the evil witch. "You'll be more like a tourist, to be honest. Staying in Pokemon centres, etcetera."  
>"But I am nineteen! I- I need solid foundations! I need to be <em>nurtured!<em>" I cried.  
>"No, you need to fend for yourself." She said adamantly.<br>"This is ridiculous." I slumped back in my chair. "Hoenn? Tomorrow?"  
>"Yep. Get used to it."<br>I stood up, kicking my chair away. "I refuse to leave."  
>Mum didn't move a muscle. "Yes, I thought you might. Which is why I had to take measures into my own hands."<br>"What kind of measures..."  
>She folded her hands on the table and leaned across them, like some Mafia boss making negotiations. "My computer screen is currently on a site for selling second-hand gaming goods." I was about to protest but she steamrolled right over me. "I have already registered your consoles, games, and other accessories. I've had seven bidders in the past half an hour, who have made quite substantial offers. Now, if you don't go to Hoenn, and beat the Pokemon League, I am afraid that I might just have to accept their propositions."<br>"Let me get this straight," I mumbled. "Not only do I have to live over there, but now I have to beat the League?"  
>"Yes, that's the general gist of it."<br>I felt my face grow pale. "Mum... The trainers there are so hard! There's no way I can beat them."  
>"Don't worry," she said. "You're a fast learner. You'll get up to their level soon enough."<br>"But I don't even have a starter Pokemon!" I howled, hopelessly. "And before you say anything, Bananas does not count."  
>"I've thought of this too." Nodded Mum. "There is an old acquaintance of your father's who lives here in Greywick. He can set you up with a starter before you leave."<br>"Oh, excellent," the sarcasm dripped from my tongue. "Now that the beginning of my large, nonsensical quest is all sorted, I think I shall go to sleep. Or better yet, I can hope that this whole thing is a dream, and that I will wake up any minute now and discover that everything is the way it should be!" I yelled, as I trudged up the stairs loudly.  
>No Hoenn, no stupid journey, no new neighbours; just me, and my console games.<br>"Mark's joining you, by the way." Mum declared, nonchalantly.

_Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-_

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><p><em><strong>Hope you guys liked Chapter 2. ^^<strong> **Things are finally picking up the pace. Well, I hope you guys think so, anyway.**_

_**Please review! Any feedback would be great. :) **_

_**Later guys. :3**  
><em>


	3. Chapter 3

**_Well, here is Chapter Three. I feel that this chapter has been more rushed than the previous two, so I apologise for any stupid mistakes you may find. _**

******THE RELUCTANT TRAVELLERS**

**Chapter Three:**

* * *

><p>As much as I wished yesterday's events were all a dream, when I woke up this morning I knew very well that they weren't just a figment of my imagination.<p>

"Of course not," I mumbled to myself. "My imagination wouldn't be so cruel."

I sat up in bed, and saw my mother packing my backpack on the other side of the room.

"Ugh. I was hoping you'd change your mind overnight." I said to her groggily, still half asleep.

"Not a chance." Mum replied, shoving my favourite black hoodie into my bag. "Now get up, and come pick the clothes you want to wear on your journey."

I rolled out of bed, and stumbled over to where she had sorted various piles of clothes. I chose practical outfits; Hoenn was notorious for its extreme weather and terrain. To put it lightly: it definitely wasn't the type of region you'd visit in your best Sunday gown.

Knowing this, I stuck to basic colours; black, green and blue. Match these with my black hiking boots, and anyone would think I was being sent to boot camp.

Guess I was, to a degree.

"Okay... I think I'm done." I signalled to mum after a while.

"Are you sure?"

"...Yes?"

"You don't sound it." Mum accused. "Okay. One last run through then." She stared up at the ceiling and listed objects off the top of her head, counting on her fingers as she did so. "Casual clothes?"

"Check."

"Hoodies and jumpers?"

"Affirmative."

"Underwear?"

"Plenty."

"Poncho?"

"Pffft!" I blurted unexpectedly. "A poncho? That's ludicrous!"

"You'll thank me later," she said, as she passed me a plastic one still in its packet.

"Um, are you sure I can't use anything more... _savvy_?" I faltered, but still accepted the cheap-looking cloak. "What about an umbrella?" I suggested.

"An umbrella won't keep you and your belongings dry for long," she scoffed.

"Very well," I groaned, placing the poncho in a hidden compartment, hoping to God that I won't ever need to take it out in public.

"Now, where were we?" Mum continued the list. "Ah, torch?"

"Yep."

"Matches?"

"Yeah, they're in here somewhere," I answered, scrambling through my backpack until I found them.

"Money?"

"Heh," I scratched my neck. "Yeah, about that..."

Mum rolled her eyes. "I'll give you some to start you off, but you'll have to earn your own from here on in, got it?"

"Fine," I grimaced. "Hey, wait a minute..." A thought suddenly popped into my head. "What about food?"

I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner! Food was the Holy Grail of all items!

"Mark's in charge of that department." She stated, a smile hovering on her lips.

_Of course he is,_ I face palmed. _Food – the most crucial thing for surviving this journey, has been left in the hands of a moron._

"Mum," I pleaded. "Look, I can go to Hoenn on my own. There is no need to bring Mark into this big _shemozzle_." I gestured with my arms.

"Someone needs to keep an eye on you." She stated simply. "May as well be Mark."

"I don't need him to watch over me! If push comes to shove, I can defend myself perfectly fine." I explained. "I was told by the school instructor that I had a mean karate chop."

The teacher had been on the other end of that blow, so he of all people should know I am not to be underestimated.

"Rylee, Mark is accompanying you, and that's final. End of discussion!" She snapped.

"But we hate each other!" I finally admitted to her. "I'll be so tired of arguing with him that I won't even have the energy to train my Pokemon! And if I don't train, I won't beat the League. And if I don't beat the League, I am going to return to an empty home without purpose because you will have sold all of my games on the internet!" I took a deep breath to steady myself. "So, you see," I continued, "by letting Mark come with me to Hoenn, you are laying down the foundations for a chain of cataclysmic events."

"Then you'll have to learn to get along with him, wont you?" Mum said, dismissing my whole speech. "Now, get up off the floor, go for a shower, and eat breakfast." She demanded in her commando voice. "NOW."

"Sir, yes, sir!" I yelled back, saluting her.

"You have to meet Mark in front of his house, and be over at Professor Lipton's hut before ten," she eyed me wickedly, obviously not liking the army jibe. "So, hurry up. You have twenty minutes," she warned. "Starting five minutes ago."

I bolted out of the house; my legs in a frenzy. As I tore down the driveway, I vaguely wondered why we even had one. _No one on the island even owns a car!_

But the thought had already been discarded by the time I found Mark, leaning against the fence outside his house.

He began to complain. "You were meant to be here ten minutes ago! What took you so lo-"

Without ruining my momentum, I grabbed his arm as I sprinted past - immediately cutting off his sentence.

"-Run-Now-Talk-Later!" I gasped, dragging him along behind me; steering him towards the lake.

"Whoa! Do you even know where you're going?" He yelled, attempting to re-adjust his centre of gravity after being yanked off the fence. "And why are we still running?"

"Small-Hut-Behind-Lake!" I panted, answering his questions respectively. "Gate-Around-Hut-Closes-At-Ten!"

I saw him glance at his watch. "It's nine fifty-eight!" The panic was evident, even in his rasping voice.

"Just-Keep-Running!"

We continued to sprint along the circumference of the lake; not even bothering to acknowledge the young kids who were waving at us as we ran along the bank.

We reached the back, and slowed as we tried to determine where the hut was hidden.

"There! Behind those trees!" Mark pointed. "The gate's still open!"

We took off again, but I did so with less speed than before. It was becoming clearer with every step that I would make a hopeless endurance runner.

With my lungs burning with pain, I glanced ahead at the gates again, and saw them starting to swing towards each other.

"Mark! They're closing!"

"I know!" He bellowed. "We're not gonna make it!"

"The Hell we won't!" I screeched. I did not just run all this way for the sake of exercise!

"On three, we dive for it, you hear me?" I shouted at Mark.

"Okay!"

We approached the thick iron gates with only a one-metre gap to spare for us both.

"THREE!"

We leapt into the air simultaneously, both scraping our shoulders along the metal as we crashed through.

"Ow." I squeaked, face-planted in the earth. After some time, I recaptured my breath, and then slowly turned my head to look at Mark, who was in a laying similar position.

"You dead?" I asked.

"You wish." He spat out some dirt that had gone into his mouth.

"At least we made it?" I said optimistically, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in my shoulder.

"If we had left home when we were supposed to, we would have made it here in time - and in better condition!" He scowled ferociously; his expression similar to that of a Feraligatr. "And why did these friggin' gates have to close at ten?"

"I lost track of time, okay!" I admitted to him. "And as for the gates, well, my Mum said it's partly due to Professor Lipton's paranoia."

"Paranoia?" He raised one of his dirt-covered eyebrows.

"Yeah, we're not sure what it's all about either." I shrugged. "But the point is, he only opens the gates for fifteen minutes a day... hence the rush to get here." I finished.

"Well. We're here now." Mark said, getting on his feet. "Might as well see what the old Nutjob has to tell us."

"Right." I nodded, also standing up. "I'll go knock on the door-"

"-No! You've done quite enough this morning," he glared. "_I'll _knock on the door."

"Suit yourself." I crossed my arms, stood back and watched Mark walk up to the large, weatherworn, splintery door.

Mark took a short, shallow breath, and then proceeded to knock on the door three times.

"Who are you and what do you want?" A grumpy voice responded.

"Mark Reed," he stated formally. "And I'm here to see you about my upcoming journey, sir."

"Bah! I do not know of any Reed's. Now get off of my property!"

Mark tried again. "But sir-"

"Out!"

Mark walked back over to me, his mouth in a snarl. "Stupid old prat won't even hear me out."

"So, does that mean I can try now?"

"Sure. Don't know what good it'll do, but go ahead." He scowled, and went to lean on a fence post.

I turned away from him and walked up to the door. I knocked three times, just as Mark had done.

"I said go away, darn it!"

"Sorry to disturb you, sir, but we would only need just a moment of your time..."

"You kids are all the same. Always take-take-take!" He grumbled. "Name?"

"Rylee Caine, sir."

A suspenseful pause followed, only to be broken by the sound of a squeaky chair rolling toward the door.

A small metal slot opened at my eye level.

"Rylee Caine, daughter of Pablo Caine; the researcher?" A large speculating eye, with thick glasses, gazed down upon me.

"Mhmm." I nodded.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" The tone of the man's voice changed to one of welcoming and warmth. "Come in, come in!" He ushered, as he unbolted the door from inside.

"We're in." I mouthed to Mark, who grunted in reply.

* * *

><p><em><strong>My original intent for this chapter was to send them to Hoenn, but I sort of got carried away with the extra scenes. So sorry about that. It's one of my bad habits in writing. :**_

__**_Hope you guys still liked it though. :)_**

_**Please leave a review! I'd love to hear of any ideas you guys have for future chapters. They have to be based on the game though. Not the TV series. :)**_

_**Thank youuuu. 3 :D**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_I apologise for any mistakes I have made in here. And I want to explain_** _**why you received multiple emails/messages for this chapter. Well, you see, I had just posted this up, when I found a doozy of a punctuation mistake. So, rather than leaving you guys to wonder what the hell**_ **_was on about, I removed the chapter, corrected it, then uploaded it again._ **_**:\**_

_**I also wish to apologise for the previous chapter. It seems that the paragraphs I had typed and organised on my word file didn't exactly convert over to this site when I uploaded it. So, **__**if there was a sudden change in subject, or a complete scene change that left you wondering what hell you skipped, don't panic - the computer just forgot to leave a space between the paragraphs.**_

__**_Now, with that being said, I shall leave you to chapter 4. :)_**

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><p><strong>THE RELUCTANT TRAVELLERS<strong>

**Chapter 4:**

"Don't mind the mess," said Professor Lipton, as he escorted us to his tiny living room.  
>The first thing I noticed was the vast quantity of old books the Professor had scattered amongst his furniture. There were at least eight on the small, rickety coffee table in front of us, and a good twenty-or-so more stacked up around the sofa. And this wasn't even including the large book shelf which was tucked away in the South-East most corner of the room.<br>The second thing I noticed were the waterlogged wooden floorboards - which had now begun to take on a mossy-shade of green.  
>The glass window was clouded with thick dust, the paint was peeling off the walls, Spinerak webs were weaved intricately between an old gas lamp and an open cupboard door. Also, the squeaky chair that the Professor had used to answer the door with, was tattered and dirty; the original material colour of the seat was unrecognisable. And to top it off, judging from the light filtering down at the other end of the room, I was pretty sure the roof was missing a sheet of iron or two as well (which would explain the sodden floorboards).<br>And yet, the Professor still chose to live here.  
>He caught me staring.<br>"Sorry," he apologised, moving objects out of the way. "This place hasn't had a good clean in a long while."  
><em>Well, that was the understatement of the century,<em> I thought to myself.  
>"It's in dire need of a woman's touch, as you can see." He chuckled nervously while quickly gathering some pieces of parchment that were spread across his dusty couch.<br>I tried peeking at the sketches the Professor had drawn on them, but he was holding the papers in such a way that prevented wondering eyes, like mine, from viewing them.  
>Trying my luck, I decided to ask him, straight-out. "What have you got there, Professor?" I nodded toward the sheets he was clutching ever so tightly in his arms.<br>"What? These?" He held them out quickly. "Oh, they're just a bunch of awful sketches I drew in my spare time." He continued, his face apprehensive. "Just a load of junk they are. Nothing important what-so-ever."  
>As if to prove his point, he scrunched them all up in to a tight ball, and then tossed it into his fireplace, smacking his hands together after he did so.<br>He turned back to us, the worry shown in his eyes was evident behind his thick glasses. "Can't have you standing around here all day, can I? Take a seat, take a seat!" He ushered Mark and I to the now parchment-free couch, forcing us both to sit.  
>"So," he finally asked, taking a seat opposite us in a brown, leather chair. "How may I help you two today?"<br>"We were told that you were the person to see if we wanted to start a Pokemon adventure in Hoenn." Mark explained, folding his arms.  
>"A Pokemon adventure? Bah!" The Professor's cheerful demeanour changed to one of shock and bewilderment. "You're crazy! No one here has been on a journey in years! And have you seen Hoenn's weather forecasts of late? Crazy weather patterns over there at the moment!" The Professor exclaimed, moulding further back into his armchair. "Besides," he said grimly, closing his eyes and bridging his hands together under his chin. "I am no longer equipped to supply you with basic trainer gear. A lot has changed in the outside world, to which I have no hope of catching up." He said, gesturing to his dilapidated home. "I've had no need to stock up on the items that you kids require for your travels. Since the island has been <em>upgraded, <em>no one has had the thirst or desire to leave."  
>"But we do!" I piped up. "Well... at least I have the motivation to." I said, thinking of my poor games. I must rescue them from their fate! "I can't speak on behalf of him, though." I tilted my head toward Mark.<br>"_I'm_ coming because _my_ mother made a promise to _yours._" He said through clenched teeth, glaring at me as though this was all _my_ fault. "And the promise she made was that I would accompany you throughout the journey." Mark leaned forward, arms on his knees, and stared at the ground. "And no matter how ridiculous the circumstances are," he frowned, "the Reed family always keeps their promises."  
>"Well, that's a good enough reason as any, I suppose." The Professor mumbled as he slowly got up from his chair and stood in front of an old sepia coloured photo. "This fellow here," he said, pointing to a young boy with black hair like my own, "he was the last adventurer to pass through my door - and that's going back several years now. About twenty-nine, to be exact." He continued to stare at the boy, tracing the simple metal frame with his fingers. "This kid, his green eyes burned with a talent I would never forget, or see again. Well, so I thought..." The Professor turned around and stared me; a peculiar look on his face. "Anyway, a few weeks later, I got a call from him, telling me that he had already beaten all eight gyms of Hoenn." Professor Lipton walked over to the mantelpiece above his fireplace, and picked up a small, intricately carved wooden box. "He also told me that he had lost the desire to challenge the Pokemon League in Ever Grande, as he had found his heart was drawing him elsewhere." He looked at me, and then at the box he was holding. "He came back several years later after he heard this island's swamp was to be removed. He was a strong believer in the preservation of Pokemon habitats, you see. During this time, he fell in love, and established a small family. But his thirst for knowledge and uncovering the region's mysteries eventually got the better of him in the end. I always suspected it would." The Professor smirked.<br>"On the eve before he left, he gave me this box. He told me to open it after he left the island, and I didn't dare disobey him. The next morning, I opened it, and inside was a message." He paused. "I never saw the lad again, but I hear wind of his travels every so often."  
>The Professor handed me the box. It was heavier than it looked, and though I was no expert at judging the calibre of wood, I could immediately tell that this box was cut from a fine timber.<br>"Well, don't just sit there like a Magikarp!" Mark demanded impatiently. "Hurry up and open it!"  
>I looked up at the Professor, his head dipping in consent.<br>I lifted up the small bronze latch of the lid, and then proceeded to open it fully.  
>The inside of the box was lined with foam and silky red velvet. A small Pokeball was resting in the middle, keeping its balance due to a small indentation in the foam. A short note was scribbled above it:<p>

_Set it free and follow. It will lead you to the others._

"Set what free?" I mumbled unconsciously.  
>"A Swampert." The Professor answered.<br>"Amazing. So they really were here..."  
>"Yes, and in plentiful amounts," nodded the Professor. "No doubt you have figured out who that young boy in the photo is by now?"<br>I glanced at the picture again. I'd had my suspicions for a little while now, but the way the Professor posed the question, now I was a hundred per cent sure it was him.  
>"He's my father, isn't he?"<br>The Professor nodded a second time.  
>"I can't believe my Dad beat all the gym leaders there." I said, a tiny bit awestruck. "He never mentioned anything of the sort to me. To be honest, I can't quite see him being a serious trainer like that." My Dad's a researcher, a scientist. He spends his days observing Pokemon, attentive to even the smallest details and changes. I would never have picked him to be the competitive type.<br>"I could say the same about you." Voiced the Professor, raising an eyebrow at me. "You don't look it yet, but I'd bet anything that you'd make quite the formidable opponent if you put your mind to it. You have the same fire in your eyes; that same little twinkle."  
>I heard Mark scoff in the background. "Rylee? Formidable? She'd have difficulties winning against a preschooler!"<br>"Hey, some of the Preschoolers I know have kick ass Pokemon." I defended.  
>"It still doesn't change the fact they're preschoolers."<br>"Settle children, settle!" The Professor bellowed, attempting to calm the atmosphere. "Now would you like to hear the rest of the story?"  
>I said yes at the same time Mark declined.<br>I glared at him.  
>"Come on!" Mark howled. "He can't help us because he hasn't got the gear we need. He said so himself! We may as well leave!"<br>I turned back to Lipton. "Please go on, Professor," I said, ignoring Mark's protest.  
>"Very well." He cleared his throat. "I did as your father instructed, and set the Swampert free, releasing it into the wild. That was the easy part. The tracking however, was a different story." He guffawed. "I have read countless articles in these books, all stating that Swampert's are generally easy going creatures and prefer to take their time while walking on land. Well, by God. This one was in an awful hurry. I was sprinting the whole time just to keep up with it! And in case you haven't noticed, I'm not as young as I used to be." He said, pointing to the little that remained of his white hair. "Who'd of thought such a large Pokemon would be so agile on land?" The Professor shook his head in amazement. "Eventually, it stopped near a very small pool of muddy water – similar to what the swamp had been, actually. And what I saw there, well. It changed my life forever..." He reminisced, leaving his sentence hanging.<br>"Hello? Professor? What did you see there?" I asked, prodding him to continue.  
>Mark had to snap his fingers twice before the Professor came back to the present day.<br>"Oh! Sorry." He shook his head to wake himself from his temporary lapse in concentration. "You know, perhaps it would be better if I just show you what I saw," he said.  
>We followed the Professor through his dingy house, until we came to a back door. Lipton paused with his hand on the knob, ready to turn it.<br>"What you're about to see Rylee, is what your father found so interesting throughout his youth, yet no one ever believed him."  
>"I believed him," I said with conviction.<br>And with that, the Professor swung the door open.

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><p><strong><em>Review! Review! Review! :D Thanks. ^^<em>**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hi again. ^^**_

___**I regret to inform you guys that this will be my last chapter for a while as I go back to Uni tomorrrow. I promise, if I ever have some spare time, or if I decide to procrastinate a little, I'll continue. :) Thanks for all your reviews so far. **_

_**Also, I **_**_may owe you a quick apology for the previous chapter. It seems that when I upload the files, it doesn't seperate the paragraphs I originally had set out in my word doc. So I apologise if the story seems to take a dramatic jump from one sentence to the next. :\ _**

**_Thanks :)_**

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><p><strong>THE RELUCTANT TRAVELLERS<strong>

**Chapter 5:**

Mudkips! Scores and scores of tiny, little Mudkips! All playing on the grass, with their evolutions keeping a watchful eye over them as they paddled in a small patch of mud.

"Oh, my God." I squeaked, having no idea where to look first. "They are so cute, I'm going to die."

"What is it with girls and Mudkips?" Mark rolled his eyes.

But I ignored him. Wanting to pat one, I took a small step forward.

"No! Stay still!" warned the Professor. "I only got them here by luring them with food! They're not used to humans yet!"

But it was too late. The second I moved, they either all buried themselves in the mud, or dashed away to hide behind nearby plant life.

All except one, that is.

"Why, hello there." I smiled down at the lone Mudkip, taking a few tentative steps towards him.

He didn't run away, like I expected him to. Instead, he boldly moved forward. He was close enough now that if I knelt down, I could pat him.

I just got on the ground and stretched out my hand when he squirted me with water.

"Argh! Damn you, you little ..._thing_!" I yelled at a loss for words, clutching my now wet shirt. "I'm gonna get you back good! You won't know what... has...hit you..." My threat died away after watching the tiny Mudkip run around me in playful circles.

"I believe you have just found yourself a starter Pokemon." The Professor beamed proudly.

"What! Really? I get to keep him?" I asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"But, of course!" chortled the Professor. "Here." He tossed me a small Pokeball.

"_She _seems to like you," he said, emphasising the gender. "So I see no problem with you taking her."

"Oh." I bent down to the Mudkip who now sat in front of me. "So, you're a girl, huh?" I said, tickling her under the gills, to which her reaction was to give off a quiet purr and then roll on the ground.

"You've already established a connection with her, so forcing her into your Pokeball shouldn't be necessary." The Professor cut in. "Just gently throw the ball above her head, and the rest should take care of itself."

I did as he instructed, and next minute, the little Mudkip was beamed into my Pokeball by a bright red light.

"Well done." Smiled the Professor.

"Yes, congratulations, kudos to you, nice one - whatever!" Mark interrupted. "Rylee has her starter sorted out, now what about mine?"

"Hmm. Yes, I have been thinking about what starter would suit you, boy. And I think I know just the Pokemon. Follow me."

Instead of walking back into the house, the Professor lead us to a small, abandoned shack, with many lights set up and turned on inside – making the shack appear quite warm.

"I've had this little guy here for a while now. And it's about time he showed that face of his." He said, standing in front of a small, grass bed.

At first I wondered what it was, as I had never seen such a smooth, rounded Pokemon before. But then I realised – the shaking, red-polka dotted ball wasn't a Pokemon at all. Well, not yet. For, it seemed that the Professor was incubating an egg.

"Ah. Right on time." He said smugly, looking at his pocket watch.

"What's in it?" Mark went closer to examine the small crack now running along the side of the green eggshell.

"Patience, dear boy. Patience. All will be revealed in a moment. Oh, and you might want to step back a bit – assuming you don't want to look like a piece of charcoal, that is."

"Well, it'd be a nice improvement." I taunted.

Mark sneered at me, and heeded the Professors warning by stepping back a few paces. No sooner had he moved, a blast of heat hit us front on, with the grass cradle now engulfed in flames.

A small Pokemon emerged from the blaze.

"Cyyyyyyyndaquil!" It chirped, staring at all three of us expectantly.

"There you go. He's all yours." The Professor gestured to Mark with his hands.

"I wanted a Charmander," Mark grumbled. "But I guess he'll have to do."

"It'll take him a while to get used to you," explained the Professor, "as Cyndaquil's seem to be rather timid Pokemon. But with time, he'll learn to trust you."

"Great. So, can I name him?" Asked Mark, annoying as ever.

"I, personally, have never bought into the whole naming scheme." Professor Lipton stated. "But if you are still keen on naming your Pokemon after you leave here, I'd much prefer that you seek the help of a name rater."

"Fine." Mark sighed. "So, are we done here, or what?"

"If this is all you sought from me today, then I suppose I can let you leave, yes." The Professor bobbed his head in confirmation, already leading us back to the front gates.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't have been more help to you." He apologised when we reached his front yard. "But my friend, Professor Birch in Little Root town, should be able to set you up with some high-tech gadgets."

"He'll be the first person we visit in Hoenn." I nodded fervently. "Thanks Professor - for everything."

"It was my pleasure." He bowed. "Now, off you go! And good luck!" He waved.

And so, here we are, at the Greywick dock, waiting for the cruise liner to come pick us up and take us to the Hoenn region.

We said our goodbyes. To Mark's embarrassment, his mother sobbed a little. Her baby boy was all grown up and flying the coop! She constantly had to remind herself that he was only a letter or email away.

Whereas mine couldn't wait to push me out of the nest.

"Send me some mail every now and then, okay Rylee?" Mum said, helping me put on my backpack. "I just want to know if you still alive."

"When I get a Pokemon that can fly, sure. But don't hold your breath."

"Don't worry, I'm not."

I grinned at her. "Hey, did Dad ever mention anything to you about almost completing the Pokemon League?" I asked her.

"What? Your father? Challenging the league? Don't make me laugh!"

Looks like Dad hadn't told her either. I wonder why he never why he never mentioned it to us... It's not something I'dwant to keep hidden.

"Speaking of your father," Mum continued, "he is doing research in Hoenn at the moment – he called me last night. He's thrilled that you're visiting the region. So don't be too surprised if you bump into him out in the fields sometime, okay?" She patted my hair. "Now off you go, and stay safe."

With that being said, she gave me one last hug and then left me to walk to the docks with Mark, who was eager to get away from his crying mother.

"I'm hungry." I stated, "Just putting it out there."

"Too bad, so sad." Mark replied. He was sitting next to me on the bench; his cap pulled over his eyes to block the sun, and his new Cyndaquil curled up on the ground, next to his feet, snoring softly.

I released Mudkip from her ball, to which she jumped around freely on the boardwalk, occupying herself by chasing the shadows of the Wingulls that were circling above us.

"I really need to give you a name, don't I?" I mumbled under my breath as I watched Mudkip play. "You can't just go through life being called your species name. That's too boring, and uncreative."

"Tell me about it." Mark agreed, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "The sooner we find a name rater, the better."

"Do you have some names picked out for him?" I asked, glancing down at his Cyndaquil.

"A few." He answered idly.

"Oh." I shifted awkwardly in my seat. "Cool."

I sat there quietly for a few more minutes. "What time was the boat meant to arrive?" I finally asked Mark, just for the sake of conversation.

"I was told at two."

"Well, it's already ten past." I said, looking out over the ocean. "What if it sunk?" I asked suddenly.

"Don't be ridiculous." I _sensed _his eyes rolling.

I stood up and paced along the pier. "You're right." I grudgingly admitted. "They must be held up at another port. Or maybe they were running out of oil and had to refuel. There is some logical reason for - "

"-What's that there, over in the distance?" Mark queried, rubbing his eyes from the bright sunlight.

"That is..." I squinted hard to see a large, moving vessel heading in our direction, "a ship." I conceded, dragging myself back to the seat to wait, watching Mudkip now squirt streams of water out into the ocean.

Twenty minutes later, we heard the horn blow, and the cruise liner began pulling in beside the dock.  
>"Come on Mudkip, it's time for you to return." I held out the Pokeball and beamed her back in. I saw Mark doing the same.<p>

A man in a white buttoned-down uniform quickly lowered a bridge for us to walk over and onto the boat.

"Good afternoon, Madame." He greeted me with his French accent. "Vill you permit me to carry your luggage to your room?"

"That'd be great. Thanks." I replied, unbuckling my backpack, and giving it to the luggage carrier.

"Monsieur," he turned to Mark. "Are you interested in 'aving someone carry your bag also?"

"Thanks, but no thanks." Mark replied curtly. "I can carry it myself."

"But of course." He porter bowed and exited the deck, with my bag in his arms.

Shortly after, another man came, and offered to escort us to our rooms. He was also French. In fact, with the ship being named _S.S. La Derniere Reine_, I would not be at all surprised if the whole crew were Frenchmen.

"Zere are many activities to participate in vile you are on our ship." He explained, as he navigated us through numerous corridors. "Zere is a svimming pool on zee top floor, a tennis court on zee second, and many Pokemon trainers lie vaiting in zeir rooms for an opponent to stumble in." The guide told us robotically. "Zee dining hall is 'ere to our right." He paused and pointed at the lavish stain-glass door. "Supper is served at six every night." He said, and then went on to explain the other meal times.

I got the feeling that he had spent many an hour rehearsing these lines. That, or he has had lots of practise.

After his had finished explaining the schedules the ship ran on, the gentleman continued to lead us to our sleeping quarters. We followed him for a few turns more, until he stopped in front of room 227, to which a red and white life ring was hanging on the outside its door.

"Your room, Madame." He reached into his coat pocket and presented me with a key card.

"Zis 'ere is your card to get in. I trust that your bags are in zere vaiting for you."

"Thank you, er," I subtly lowered my eyes to read his name badge, "Jean," I said, as I accepted the swipe card.

"Twas my pleasure." He bowed and started walking away.

"Hey! Wait up!" Mark yelled to him. "Where's my room?"

Jean's eyes widened in confusion. "I beg your pardon, Monsieur, but your reservation states zat you intended to share zis room with your Madame 'ere." He gestured towards me.

"No, no, no! There must be some mistake..." Mark shook his head violently.

"I am terribly sorry, sir. But zat is vot zee booking said."

"I don't care what you guys wrote down!" Mark stormed. "I am not sharing a room with _her_! Find me another one!" He ordered.

"Zat... is not possible, sir." Jean confessed nervously.

"Why not?" Mark demanded, his voice echoing through the hallway.

"All of our rooms are occupied. Zis vos our last vacant room."

"You have got to be shitting me!" Mark exhaled in defeat, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. Jean took that as his cue to leave, darting down the corridor; escaping before Mark's anger gained a second wind.

Mark turned to me, about to say something, but then thought better and settled on clenching his fist instead.

_Yep. This was going to be one hell of a journey._

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><p><em><strong>I hope the French accent didn't confuse anyone. I tried to keep it simple, but a few words I pondered whether they were too hard to determine or not. Hope you guys figured them out. <strong>_

_** Well, that's it for now peeps.**_ **_U_**_**ntil next chapter, I bid thee farewell. :D Thanks again. And please review. ^^**_

_**Dani. :)  
><strong>_


	6. Chapter 6

_**So, it has been quite a while since I last added to this. I'm on holidays now, and thus produced this. Boredom does that to a person I suppose.**_

_**Anyway, I found it quite difficult to pick up the story again after such a long absence. Meaning it is quite likely you'll find inconsistencies throughout the story. But i suppose I am in no way getting paid for writing this, so I suppose you'll just have to put up with my mistakes unfortunately. :P  
>Please let me know of any errors you find. I didn't spend much time looking for them, so any that you pick up along the way would be appreciated.<strong>_

_**And thanks for your reviews ages ago! **_

**me-mim-em: **Thanks! I was really trying to make it humerous. :) I'm glad you like it.

**Phoenix Helix: **Oh, you got the impression Rylee and Mark don't get along? What on earth gave you that impression? Haha :P

**Jess Readin & NeonNinja: **I'm glad you both liked it, and I will try to continue. haha. But if it gets crap just say so. :)

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><p><em><strong><strong>_**THE RELUCTANT TRAVELLERS**

**Chapter 6:**

So, here we were, Mark and I; sitting on opposite sides of the large, plush, king-sized bed.  
>"I cannot believe this." He exhaled in defeat, lowering his head into his hands. "Out of all the people - all the <em>rooms!<em> - they put me with you."  
>"Well, to be completely honest you're no carnival of fun times either."<br>Mark's eyes shot daggers at me. "I wonder why that is?"  
>"Look." I said with resolve, standing up and pacing across the royal blue carpet of our room. "We can do this two ways. The first is to sulk, and complain about each other's existence, or option two is to actually sort out an agreement for our time on this ship and compromise on something."<br>"Pffft. _Compromise_." Mark blurted. "That is such a married couple's word. I prefer the term _negotiation_."  
>"Fine, whatever. <em>Negotiation<em>. Either way, we need to settle on something."  
>Mark fell backwards on the bed and folded his arms under his neck. "Well. What ideas were you proposing?"<br>"Well. How about we list them all and work out which ones are plausible?"  
>Mark nodded, "sounds like a starting point."<br>"Right." I perched myself on the bed again, crossing my legs. "Option one: we share the bed."  
>"No."<br>I breathed a sigh of relief. "I was hoping you would say that. Okay… option one gone." I ticked off my fingers. "Option two: you sleep on the floor."  
>He sat up in protest. "Why can't you sleep on the floor?"<br>"Because."  
>"BECAUSE WHY?!"<br>"Because of reasons."  
>"How is that even a legitimate excuse?" Mark raised his arms in protest. He stood up before I even had a chance to reply. "Option three:<em>You<em> sleep in the bathtub, and I get the bed."  
>"Hell to the NO!" I yelled. "Option four: Neither of us sleeps on the bed and we both sleep on the floor."<br>Despite the tension, Mark laughed. "Now that's just plain stupid."  
>"Well," I smirked, "We're running out of ideas. And we're not exactly compromising here."<br>"Negotiating, Rylee. Negotiating."  
>"Whatever." I said, taking my Pokeball off my belt, and rolling it across my fingers. "It appears we've come to a stalemate for the moment. So how about we unpack our things and then go exploring this joint? Wanna battle some old rich people?"<br>"Well," he shrugged. "Better than staying locked up in here and being miserable I guess."

And so we found ourselves wandering around the wide, red carpeted hallways of the ship.  
>"Right. So…" I began, glancing at the doors of all the rooms we were passing by, "are we going to kick some old guy booty and get some moola? Or are we just going to walk around the ship all night? Because we have walked passed like a million rooms and potentially rich trainers."<br>Mark sighed. "Don't you ever read signs?"  
>"No?" I answered tentatively. "Wait. What signs?"<br>Mark rubbed his temples firmly. "Of course, I forgot you were so unobservant you wouldn't have even noticed them in the first place."  
>"Look, answer my question and just tell me what the damn signs said," I rebutted, folding my arms crossly.<br>He sighed again. "See this?" He pointed to a small sticker beside one of the room's door handles. "This sticker is red-"  
>"-No durr, Mark. I'm not colour blind."<br>Mark cleared his voice, ignoring my comment "- This sticker is red INDICATING that the passengers inside do not wish, or have no desire, to battle any opponents."  
>"So red is a no-go."<br>"Correct." He stated. "I believe I heard on the news a while ago that the ship crew were receiving complaints from guests when random trainers and adventurers just barged into peoples' rooms, interrupting their privacy and demanding battles at sometimes rather… inconvenient… moments."  
>"Oh. I see…" I blinked nervously, averting my gaze. "So they developed a colour system. That's pretty neat. So what colour are we looking for then? Green, I suppose?"<br>"My, my. Your deduction skills are off the charts, Rylee. Truly immeasurable."  
>"Oh shut up." I smirked. "Well. You keep going along the hallway. I'm going to go check out the deck." Surely someone will battle me up there, I thought. If I am ever going to compete in the League, go home and save my gaming consoles, I need to start training as soon as possible. Besides, a bit of extra money wouldn't hurt either. Who knows what we'll need to buy on the road.<p>

So we split up.  
>Mark continued down the corridor, while I began climbing up the ornately wood-crafted and varnished staircase which lead up to the deck.<br>Altogether, there were four flights of stairs to reach the top deck. The one stairway connected the different levels of accommodation, and made them share a common path to reach the above deck of the ship. As beautiful as the stairs were, I got bored of trudging up them alone on the first flight and decided to let my Mudkip out and climb them with me. It was kind of cute watching her bound up the stairs, and staring at her while she waited for me to catch up to the platform she stopped on.  
>"Ugh, I really need to give you a name." I groaned out loud, watching her leap two steps at once, with more enthusiasm and vigour than I could ever conjure up in a lifetime.<br>"I need to give her a name…" I muttered to my sneakers. "A name with meaning. And it can't be stupid either. I don't want all the other Pokemon teasing her for having a stupid name. I don't even know if bullying happens when you're a Pokemon, but I'm not taking any chanc- OOF!"

And that's when I accidentally bumped into one of the most beautiful men on earth.

His aqua-coloured hair was beautifully styled into a straight side fringe, with some small, lingering strands left framing the sides of his face. He was wearing a long, white cloak and small, circular hat of the same shade. His attire also consisted of some quite flamboyantly coloured pants (bright purple to be precise) and a green and white shirt, which seemed perfectly tailored to suit his physique. It was the most beautiful combination of gaudiness and grace that I have ever witnessed in my short life. I didn't even think such a look was possible in the modern fashion world. But here it was - here he was - standing right in front of me; carrying a huge, half-opened, pale blue striped beach umbrella in his arms.  
>"My word!" he gasped as he attempted to regain his balance on the platform. "Phew. That was a close one, wasn't it?" he exclaimed, peering down the flight of stairs behind him. "I'd hate to see how that would have ended if I didn't look up at the last moment, hah!" He beamed a friendly smile toward me.<br>I blinked at him like a stunned Magikarp; half blinded by his beauty, and half startled that I could have been the cause of death of one so beautiful. "I… I…"  
>"You…? You what?" he grinned, eyes crinkling on the edges.<br>"I-" Come on Rylee, get the words out. "I am so sorry!"  
>"No harm done." He smiled down at me with forgiveness. "Could have been much worse, I dare say."<br>"I am so sorry - you have no idea how sorry I am and I could have killed you and I wasn't looking where I was going and oh my God, again I am so sorry." Smooth, Rylee.  
>"There, there," he patted my shoulder lightly with a free hand. "Speak nothing of it, Miss…? Oh, I am terribly sorry, by what name should I address you?"<br>"Um. Rylee."  
>"Ah, Rylee. Rylee…" He mumbled to himself, briefly forgetting I was standing less than a metre away. "Such a full, hearty name. A lot of strength to it. Possible British heritage, but I wouldn't place any bets on it. She could be coming back from the Kanto region like the rest of us, but then again, I haven't seen her on the ship until now. In fact, we did make that short stop at Greywick port. She could very well have boarded there." He gazed into my eyes, with graceful intimidate, as though he was analysing my features, remembering. "Yes, she does look slightly familiar… as though I have seen her face somewhere before… Someone I have met before…" After a short pause, his eyes then trailed down to Mudkip who was circling our feet in figure eights. "Hmm. Only one Pokemon out free. Still needs training. Means she's new to the Pokemon Training agenda. And this ship is on the way to Hoenn; I can only guess that she is either here on a trip to visit relatives, or she is planning to raise her Pokemon, challenge the gyms, and defeat the league in which-"<br>"Hey," I cut in angrily, "this pretty boy façade is wearing out fast. You could just ask me. I'm standing right here, you know?" If there's one thing I hate, it's being spoken about, and not spoken to.  
>"Oh my!" He gasped in horror. "I am terribly sorry. I seem to have a bad habit of talking to myself when I'm thinking about things," he chuckled lightly; his laughter as soft and delicate as wind chimes. "Do forgive me, Rylee."<br>"Yeah, yeah. Nothing to forgive." I waved. "Besides, I did almost practically kill you before anyway. Now we're even I guess."  
>"That we are, that we are," he smiled kindly in return. "Oh, I was on my way to the top deck before I bumped into you. Would you care to join me?"<br>"I was on my way up there myself, actually."  
>"Bravo, bravo! Let us enter the scene together then!" he exclaimed dramatically, linking our arms, and dragging me up the stairs, with Mudkip following close behind us.<br>We scaled the stairs, arm in arm, until we reached the glass door which was emanating with heat due to the vast amount of sunlight absorbed into the screen.  
>"Allow me," the elegant stranger bowed, and opened the door for me, ushering me to walk through.<br>"Why, thank you." I pretended to curtsy. It occurred to me then that I didn't even know his name. "Um… I'm sorry, I still don't know your name."  
>"I'm sure you'll learn it soon enough." He tipped his hat toward me, exposing more of his aqua coloured hair. "Until then, I have some business to take care of with the captain. Enjoy exploring the deck, Rylee Caine!" He yelled over his shoulder as turned to approach the Captain's quarters.<br>"Whoa! Wait!" I yelled after him. "How did you know my… last name…" I trailed off, realising that my attempts were futile. He was long gone.  
>Typical. Everyone knows something about me, and here I am, always left in the dark trying to piece things together.<p>

I snickered and began scanning the deck for potentially wealthy opponents to battle.  
>"Now, I don't want to challenge anyone that's too strong for you yet, Mudkip." I spoke to my companion, as I bent down to stroke her gills. "We need to find a rich, unexperienced opponent who we can beat and win some cash from."<br>Mudkip butted her head hard against my shin.  
>"Oh. Right. And to train you, too." I smiled down at her. "Don't worry, I'm not just training you for the money."<br>"How dull. Because that's the only reason I have Pokemon battles."  
>I turned around and saw a young, probably 15 year old, teenage boy dressed in a white suit, tossing a Pokeball absent-mindedly in his hand.<br>"What do you want?" I asked harshly, rising to meet his gaze.  
>"How polite." He tutted. "The name's Trent. Trent Stone. Nephew of the great Mr. Stone - President of Devon Corporation and first cousin of Steven Stone, Hoenn's reigning Pokemon League Champion." Trent held out his hand. "And you are?"<br>I refused to shake such a pompous, little twerp's hand. "Rylee Caine," I say.  
>"Rylee Caine? That's it?" He scoffed as he retracted his hand, only to bury them both deep into his pockets. "No titles following? No infamous relatives? Nothing? Just plain old Rylee Caine? Hah!"<br>It took all my strength not to jam my fist into his jaw then and there.  
>"Yes, that's my name." I said through my tight lips which had somehow managed to form a vicious smile on their own accord.<br>He cocked one of his eyebrows up. "Well, Miss Caine, I am sorry to eaves drop upon your conversation before, but I thought I overheard you saying you wish to challenge someone to a Pokemon battle?"  
>And here was my chance to make this little twerp's ego hurt.<br>"Yes, you heard me correctly. Why? Are you offering to be my opponent?" I dared.  
>"It depends on whether that was an invitation or not," he smiled cunningly.<br>"Oh, that wasn't an invitation." I walked up close to him, almost flush with his suit. "That was a challenge."  
>He smirked, showing half of his bright, perfectly aligned teeth. What I wouldn't give to knock a few of them out of place.<br>"Then it is a challenge I will accept." He confirmed, shifting two steps back and bowing. "These are the conditions I battle under." He reached into his tuxedo pocket and gave me a shimmering card with his photo and battle details on it. "Be sure to read them before our battle. I expect you will be able to meet all of the conditions outlined on the card. If not, the battle is off."  
>He quickly glanced at his expensive silver watch. "Meet me here in 20 minutes." Trent stated as he turned his back to me. "I have a few things to set up first. Until then, I suggest you go practise a little. Because you'll need all the help you can get." He sauntered off along the side of the deck towards the pool house, leaving me to stand in the middle of the deck, surrounded by a few geriatric onlookers who went back to sunbathing when I caught them staring at me.<p>

"Come on, Mudkip." I called, gripping the piece of card tightly. "Let's go fit in a little practise".  
>Because God only knows what kind of Pokemon we're about to go up against.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Well, that's that. If I'm still in the mood I'll continue writing the next chapter tonight. <strong>_

_**Thanks guys!**_


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